F1 driver slapped with 20-place grid penalty at Azerbaijan Grand Prix | F1 | Sport

Zhou Guanyu will start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the back of the grid after taking a 20-place grid penalty. The Chinese racer took two new components after Friday’s action in Baku.

The Sauber team opted to fit a new energy store and control electronics to his machine after a difficult start to the weekend, and both of these came outside of the permitted season-long allowance.

While the penalty was significant, it is unlikely to have a major impact on Zhou’s ability to score points in Baku. The Sauber team have been slipping away from the back of the field in terms of performance lately, and have struggled greatly in qualifying.

Even more concerning for Zhou is his head-to-head record against team-mate Valtteri Bottas. The 25-year-old has been outqualified in 15 of the 16 races so far this season, dealing a hammer blow to his chances of sealing a new contract with the Sauber squad.

Zhou’s race record hasn’t been much better. Bottas has been the highest-finishing Sauber driver on 11 occasions this year, although neither have been able to score a point.

With the second Sauber seat seemingly heading to either team-mate Bottas or McLaren junior driver Gabriel Bortoleto, Zhou now faces a season on the sidelines.

While other drivers to drop off the F1 grid have targeted careers in IndyCar or the World Endurance Championship, Zhou is still fully focused on staying in his current championship, even if this means taking up a reserve driver role.

“[I would] have to see with the whole project, because I think to be a reserve driver would be interesting if they could promise a seat available for the coming seasons,” he said earlier this summer.

“I think that would be something still I could take. But otherwise, I need to see exactly, because once you take that role, some drivers never come back, which is not the case I want.”